Ritz-Carlton to debut in Vietnam. Tuesday, 14th August 2012 Source : HVS International Ritz-Carlton is to open its first hotel in Vietnam with the signing of a deal to manage a property in Ho Chi Minh City. Slated to open in 2017, the 250-room hotel is located in the historic centre of Saigon, adjacent to the famous Ben Thanh Square market. The hotel forms part of the 48-floor integrated development called The One Ho Chi Minh City, which also includes prime office space, retail outlets and 350 luxury apartments. The hotel is designed by the award-winning American architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia of Arquitectonica Architects. ------ Bitexco The ONE Ho Chi Minh City,District 1, Ho Chi Minh City •Location: The ONE Ho Chi Minh City is located at the historical Ben Thanh Market plaza, where four streets meet, namely Le Thi Hong Gam, Calmette, Pham Ngu Lao, and Pho Duc Chinh. Ben Thanh Towers is also sit on top of future city Metro Center. •Land area: +/- 8,600 square meters •Level: 55 levels (240 meters) •Gross construction area: +/- 180,000 square meters •Scheduled construction period: 2011 - 2015 The project includes two towers which are connected by a podium. The 55-storey West Tower contains office floors in the lower half and a hotel in the upper half. The 48-storey East Tower contains the residential apartments, serviced by the hotel through the podium and basement. The architectural design has a cultural context as it refers to the Vietnamese myth of the Two Dragons. The podium represents the coiled tails, while the two dragons rise from the land. The cantilevered tops represent the dragon's heads. The glass cubes are figurative depictions of Vietnamese pearls in the mouths of the dragons. The image will provide a powerful reminder to current and future generations of both the Vietnamese myth and the symbolic representation of the city's fame as the 'Pearl of the Orient'. When completed, The ONE Ho Chi Minh City, with its iconic design and strategic location, will represent the new and dynamic Vietnam and will be a new city landmark.